Faceted metadata XML format
Here's the thing: I've been thinking about this and playing around with it, and I think I might make a simple XML format (it's half done) to publish faceted metadata that will:
- let you build your faceted metadata
- let you publish that on the web if you like
- you can import other people's taxonomies, or parts of them
- you can merge with other people's taxonomies
Anyone can then write software that takes a map and generates navigation like:
- "More about faceted metadata on Bloug, Moresmarter, Noisebetweenstations". The links would show a list of pages about faceted metadata on those sites, as defined by their authors. (If they have published their taxonomy, that is). The system knows what that my topic faceted metadata is the same as your topic faceted metadata because I've pointed my published topic to your published topic. (Or to another published topic that you have pointed to as well.)
- Also simpler faceted metadata navigation, like "Similar articles".
For example: Lou Rosenfeld might publish a really good taxonomy for the field of information architecture, then I could import that and merge that with my personal taxonomy for my weblog.
Is there any interest in this? Is anyone else excited about this? The concepts are based on XTM (topic maps). I don't want to use XTM itself for a variety of reasons that I might elaborate on later, I don't think it would work. (ie. too complex, too flexible)